Michael & Cynthia Kelly

Nebraska’s Kelly Ranch Wins National ESAP Award

Michael and Cynthia Kelly, owners of Kelly Ranch on the southern edge of the Nebraska Sandhills, are this year’s winners of the National Environmental Stewardship Award. The award is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences.
The Kelly Ranch is a family-owned, integrated cow/calf and stocker operation that has been in the family since 1885. The combined ranches include owned and leased land, with about 20,000 acres of native Sandhilll grass, 500 acres of native meadow hay, 350 acres of irrigated alfalfa and 130 acres of irrigated corn.
All livestock are on a planned rotational grazing system, allowing the range some rest during the growing season. This has increased their available forages and helped support wildlife.
Ranch improvements include 7 miles of cross fencing, 11 livestock wells, 7,818 feet of livestock water pipeline, 12 new windmills and 19 new livestock water tanks. They have planted 11,178 trees.